Machine for treating blankets



J. AND E. J. McCREARY.

MACHINE FOR TREATING BLANKETS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17, I920.

J. AND E. J. McCREARY.

MACHINE FOR TREATING BLANKETS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11.1920.

1,400,446, Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

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J. AND E. J. McCREARY.

MACHINE FOR TREATING BLANKETS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 71 1920.

Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

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' UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOH'N' MOGREARY AND EDWARD J'. MCCREARY, OF COHOES, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR TREATING BLANKETS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN MoCREARY and EDWARD J. MoCRnARY, citizens of the United States, residing at Cohoes, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Treating Blankets, of which the following is a specification.

Th s invention relates to improvements in machlnes for treating blankets and other similar articles and the primary object ofthe same is to provide simple and effective means adapted to be readily controlled or adjusted to produce a soft finish or nap on a blanket by bringing the latter into contact wlth a. revolving cylindrical brush and to uniformly treat a blanket by devices which practically have an automatic operation relatively to the thickness of the blanket or other article. The invention consists essentially of a novel arrangement of feed rolls and cylindrical brush with which an automatically yieldable pressure bar cooperates to maintain a uniform pressure of the blanketor cloth relatively to the cylindrical brush to accommodate varyin'g thicknesses of blankets and cloth as well as grades of fabric and degrees of nap together with mechanical devices for receiving and delivering the blanket or cloth to the front of the machine after it has been treated or na-pped. The invention also provides for removal of lint and loose wool from the machine and any preferred form of preliminary blanket or cloth feed mechanism for conducting the blanket or cloth'to the cylindrical brush.- The invention further consists of, the construction and arrangement of the several parts or the general organization of themachine which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed. I

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a machine embodying the feature of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the improvedmachine partially broken away.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional perspective view of Parts fthei gitudinal vertical section of a ortlon o 4 machine.

1g. 6 is a gisimilar to Fig. 3 showing a slight modification in the construction.

The numeral 5 designates the frame of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 17,

Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

1920. Serial No. 396,975.

improved machine having an upper horizontal top portion 6 including girths 7 At the front of the top portion of the frame a feed table or device 8 is mounted and this may be replaced if desired by the well known form of feeding belt, it being only necessary to have means for regularly guiding blankets and fabrics to be treated to the mechanism of the machine and it will be understood that any suitable means will be used for this purpose. In rear of the feeding bed or other device 8 are a pair of feed rolls 9. and 10 mounted in suitable bearings with the roll 9 superposed with relation to the roll 10, the

said roll 9 being automatically movable or having a gravitating action relatively to the roll 10 as in similar feed roll construction. The rolls 9 and 10 are intergeared or respectively have meshing pinions 11 and 12 at their ends to rotate the said rolls in the proper direction for delivering the blanket or fabric fed thereto toward the remaining mechanism. At a suitable distance in rear of the feed rolls are longitudinally adjustable bearings 13 which are arranged to be shifted by a screw 14 and a rod 15 having a hand wheel 16, the screw and rod respectively having meshing gears 14 and 15'. In these bearings 13 a shaft 17 is rotatably mounted and carries a wire brush or napping cylinder 18, as clearly shown by Fig. 1. By adjusting the bearings 13 the shaft 17 and cylinder 18 may be shifted forwardly or rearwardly as desired for the purpose of treating blankets or fabrics of varying thicknesses.

Secured on the inner side of opposite portions of the frame and projecting above the horizontal top of the latter are brackets 19 which carry inwardly projecting studs 20 on which swinging or adjustable brackets 21 are mounted and have a pressure bar 22 con nected or secured thereto, as clearly shown by Figs. 4; and 5. This pressure bar is preferably curved and stands or is held in operative position in advance of the carding cylinder 18. The bar is of concavo-convex contour with the convex side 23 thereof facing the cylinder 18. As shown the thicker portion of the bar is at its lower edge as at-24, and from this edge the bar gradually diminishes in thickness toward its upper edge 25. Each bracket, 21 has a lower angular offset 26 projecting outwardly toward the adjacent side of the frame and connected to a lower plate member 27 formed with a segmental slot extending longitudlnally thereof.

- To the forward end of the plate member 27 of one bracket 21 a link-rod 28 is secured, see Fig. 1, the forward end of said latter rod being attached to one arm of a bell crank lever 29 movably mounted on the side of the frame; the remaining arm of this bell crank lever having a depending link rod 30 secured thereto and to the rear end of a treadle 31 mounted on the floor or base on which the machine is mounted within easy reachlng distance of an operator and whereby the pressure bar 22 may be. adjusted relatively to the carding cylinder 18. Each plate member'27 has a coiled spring 32 attached thereto and to an adjacent part of the frame, the springs 32 operating to restore the bar 22 to normal posit-ion after it has been adjusted forwardly or away from the cylinder 18, Fig. 5 illustrating the sald pressure bar and the brackets 21 moved forwardly against the tension of the springs 32. The bar 22 being secured to the swinging or adjustable brackets 21 and the latter, through the spring 32 connected to the plate member 27, set up an automatic yielding actionof the said bar when variations in thickness of the fabric or blanket treated pass between the said bar and the brush cylinder 18, said thickness being compensated for by the yielding action of the said spring 32. This automatic compensating movement of the bar 22 is of material advantage in maintaining the fabric or blanket treated in proper pressure association with the brush cylinder 18. I11 addition, the bar 22 is curved in such manner as to be effective in holding a comparatively small portion of the fabric or blanket against the brush cylinder, it being observed that the convex side 23 of the cylinder provides for forwardly curved upper and lower edge portions of the bar, the maximum forward curvature of the bar being at the lower edge so as to give a clearance for .the fabric or blanket in its downwardly feeding course toward and through rollers in a forward diagonal direction, as will be presently explained.

Below the feed rolls 9 and 10 is an idler roll 33 and below the latter and slightly toward the rear is a guide roll 34 with which the said idler cooperates for a purpose which will be presently explained. At a suitable distance below the guide roll 34 and disposed at an upward and forward angle of inclination is areturn carrier 35 consisting of an endless belt of suitable construction trained over the front and rear rolls 36 and 37 respectively having shafts 38 and 39 held in suitable bearings at opposite parts of the frame. The purpose of this carrier 35 is to receive the blanket or fabric after it has been subjected to treatment and convey the said blanket or fabric upwardly out through the front of the machine where it may be readily reached byan operator. The lower forwardly curved edge portion of the bar 22 assists materially in directing the fabric or blanket between the bite of the rollers 33 and '34, as clearly shown by Fig.3, so as to ive the fabric or blanket a forward obhque feeding direction toward and onto the carrier 35 for effectively returning the fabric or blanket after treatment to the front of the machine where it may be easily reached by the operator. p

The improved mechanism also includes means for the removal of lint and loose wool and consists essentially of a hood 40, as shown by Figs. 1, 2 and 3, which incloses the feed rolls 9 and 10, the cylinder Y18 and the pressure bar 22 and the remaining mechanism at the upper part of the machine, as clearly shown by Fig. 3. The said hood 40 is secured in any preferred manner to a front frame 41 having an inlet or feed opening 42 into which the table 8 extends at its rear extremity. The frame 41 has also an inwardly and upwardly projecting guard 43 for the purpose of shielding the mechanism below. The hood 40 is preferably hinged as at 44 to permit the same to be tipped up or removed for inspection of the mechanism inclosed thereby and also to allow setting of the cylinder 18 and such other manipulation of the several mechanisms as may be required. The lower part of the machine is preferably inclosed, and particularly at the rear, by a sheet metal wall or plate 45 and to the lower portion thereof at, the rear of the machine is a pipe or connection 46 which runs-to a suitable suction fan for the purpose of removing the loose wool fabrics or lint that may be thrown off within the machine inclosure and thereby maintain the interior of the machine in good working condition with material advantages in the treatment of the blankets or fabric fed into the machine. Instead of the application of the suction pipe 46 as shown by Fig. 3, a suction pipe 47 may be attached to the top of the hood and practically operatedin the same manner to remove the loose lint or wool or other fabrics circulating within the hood inclosure. Fig. 6 also shows an endless feed apron 48 which replaces the table 8 shown by Fig. -3, this feed apron being driven by a belt 49 running from a suitable source of power.

The shafts 38 and 39 will be mounted in suitable bearings as shown by Fig.1, and

the rear shaft 39, for instance, is provided at one end with a belt pulley 50 having a power belt 51 trained thereover and runnmg from a power source and whereby the return carrier-35 maybe operated. In like manner the shaft 17 of the cylinder 18 may be actuated from a suitable power source or by a belt and pulley structure associated with said shaft. In this connection it will be understood that all of the rotating shafts will be mounted in bearing boxes of the most improved type and-also that the driving mechanism and adjusting means for the several boxes will be of the usual construction employed in this class of machines.

The blanket or fabric to be napped is placed on the table48 or the endless apron -18 and the treadle 31 is slightly depressed by the operator to throw the pressure bar 22 forwardly to clear the cylinder sufliciently to permit the blanket or fabric which is taken up and fed inwardly by the rolls 9 and 10 to pass over the upper edge 25 of the said pressure bar and adjacent to the cylinder 18, and as soon as the blanket or fabric is thus applied, the pressure bar is released and the springs 32 throw it rearwardly into normal position so that the rear convex side or face 23 thereof will come into engagement with the blanket or fabric and exert ayielding pressure thereon relatively to the cylinder 18. The blanket or fabric after, it is napped by the cylinder 18 will be moved downwardly to the guide roll 34 and engaged by the latter and the idler 33 and directed onto the return carrier 35, as shown by Fig. 3. The napped blanket or fabric upon reaching the carrier will be transferred or moved by the latter outwardly through the front of the machine where is may be withdrawn.-

The improved machine will be found especially advantageous in facilitating the napping of blankets or fabrics, and it will be understood that such changes in the general construction and arrangement of the several parts will be adopted as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

\Vhat is claimed as new is: 1. In a blanket napping machine, the combination with a brush cylinder and feed rolls, of a pivotally and yieldingly mounted rigid pressure bar between the feed rolls and the cylinder and depending in advance of the cylinder to maintain the cloth against the cylinder.

2. In a blanket napping machine, the combination with a brush cylinder and means for feeding a blanket or fabric thereto, of an adjustable curved rigid pressure bar depressure of thepending in advance of the cylinder and between the feed rolls and the cylinder.

3. In a blanket napping machine, the combination with a brush cylinder and feeding means for directing the blanket or fabric to the cylinder, a curved pressure bar movably depending in advance of the cylinder and interposed between the cylinder and feed rolls to press the blanket or fabric against the cylinder, a set of guide rolls below the bar to direct the blanket or fabric from the cylinder, and means for receiving and returning the blanket or fabric from the guide rolls forwardly to the front of the machine.

4. In a blanket napping machine, the combination of a brush cylinder and feeding means, a curved pressure bar mounted to depend in advance of the brush cylinder for holding the blanket or cloth yieldingly against the said cylinder, and means for directing and moving the blanket away from the cylinder and returning it to the front of the machine.

5. In a blanket napping machine,the combination of a pair of feed rolls, a brush cyl inder, a pressure bar depending over a portion of the front of the brush cylinder and between the latter and the feed rolls for holding the blanket or fabric up to the carding means, and means for effecting the removal of loose lint or flyings from the .machine.

ed curved pressure bar interposed between the feed rolls and brush, guide or delivery rolls to receive and direct the blanket or fabric away from the brush, the lower portion of the pressure bar being curved to di-' "rect the blanket to the said guide rolls and a.

return carrier to receive the blanket from the guide or delivery rolls and discharge the blanket through the front of the machine.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN McCREARY. EDWARD J. MoCREARY. Witnesses:

DAVID LONG, EDWARD J. WINN. 

